


More Than a Gift Card

by writingonpostcards



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Christmas Fluff, Jack being oblivious to his own feelings, M/M, Secret Santa, what's new there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 08:46:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17118158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingonpostcards/pseuds/writingonpostcards
Summary: Jack's loathes the office-wide Secret Santa, especially when he draws Eric Bittle's name. What can you get someone you've never met and know nothing about?





	More Than a Gift Card

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I thought I'd write a small Christmas ficlet and then it got bigger than I intended. Blame the Christmas spirit!

“Who do you have?” Shitty asks immediately, flagrantly disregarding the rules of _Secret_ Santa.

“Eric,” Jack tells him anyway, needing the help. “Do you know who he is?”

“Eric, Eric,” Shitty scratches his chin. “Sorry, man, I’m—Wait.” Shitty snaps his fingers at Jack. “Eric Bittle?”

Jack checks the slip of paper again. “Yeah. Eric Bittle.”

“Ah, Bitty. Of course. I haven’t heard anyone call him ‘Eric’ since I was first introduced to him. Nice pick! He’s a great guy. He’s in the international rights team.”

Jack sighs. He’s never met anyone from that department since there’s not much cross-over with production. It’s easier for Shitty, the legal team is in contact with almost every division in the building.

“Swap?” Jack pleads with Shitty, hoping he at least has someone Jack knows. “I’ve no idea what to get him.”

“Sorry Jack.” Shitty tucks his own name slip into his pocket. “Don’t want to disrespect the luck of the draw.”

-

Jack’s in the middle of filling out an order form when a series of texts come in, almost vibrating his phone off his desk as he waits to finish inputting his codes before reading them. They’re all from Shitty.

_Your Secret Santa is in the break room on level 4._

_Come down and meet him!_

_He’s eating lunch so he’ll probably be a while._

_Jack? You coming?_

_It’s a pasta salad and it smells really good._

_Do you think he’d share? I’ve just got an apple._

_Totally forgot to pick something up this morning._

Jack rolls his eyes and calls Shitty.

“You on your way?” Shitty answers the phone, obviously eating the aforementioned apple

“No. I’m working. Because I’m at work. Besides, I’ve decided I’ll just get him a gift card or a Christmas ornament. It’ll be fine.”

“Jack, my man.” Shitty swallows loudly. “That’s not in the spirit of Christmas! Where’s the personal touch?”

“I’m busy with deadlines before the break.”

“Bitty deserves something nicer than that though. He’s awesome!”

“So you’ve said.”

Shitty huffs. “You have like 3 weeks left until the exchange anyway. You can take _one lunch time_ to come talk to the guy and see what he’d want a gift card for at least.”

Jack rubs at the point between his eyebrows. “Fine.”

“Serious? That was quick.”

“I need to see Patrick anyway.”

“Urgh. Don’t kill my joy like that. I thought the spirit of Christmas had finally found you.”

By the time Jack’s finished talking about the new magazine format with Patrick, the break room on level 4 has emptied out. Even Shitty hasn’t hung around. He sighs and heads back to his desk. Generic gift card it is.

-

It seems the universe has another plan in mind. He’s in the lift with Shitty, returning to the office after a lunch out, when they stop at level 4 and a well-dressed blond man walks in holding a stack of folders and a take-away coffee.

“Oh, hi Shitty,” he directs to Shitty, before turning to Jack and adding a polite, “Hello.”

“Hi, _Bitty_ ,” Shitty replies with an unorthodox stress on his name.

“How’s it going?” The man smiles and stands beside Shitty across the lift from Jack.

“Good thanks, _Bitty_.” Shitty repeats the emphasis and moves his foot back to nudge Jack’s shoe. Jack’s already picked up on it. This is Eric Bittle. His Secret Santa.

“Getting harassed by the trader mags as always,” Shitty continues conversationally, “but I’m used to it.”

Eric rolls his eyes and laughs. “We still on for 3 o’clock?” he asks Shitty.

“Yep. I’ll see you up there.”

“Great. See you.”

Eric sends a smile to Shitty and Jack as well before stepping out at level 6. The doors are barely shut behind him when Shitty nudges Jack in the ribs.

“Ouch.” Jack rubs at the spot. “I got it. That’s Eric.”

“See why you can’t just get him a gift card?” Shitty asks.

“Actually, not really?” Jack argues. “He said ten words about work. How am I meant to tell anything from that?”

Shitty frowns. “Fair point. I’ll have to think of another way to get you two together.”

“Together?” Jack asks with alarm. “What are you planning?” It wouldn’t be the first time Shitty’s tried out his match-maker skills with Jack. He’s well intended but terrible at the execution.

“Not like together-together, like, in the same room so you can have a conversation.”

“Or…you could just tell me what he’d like?” Jack suggests.

Shitty grasps his shoulder. “But that’s not in the sp-”

“-spirit of Christmas. I know.”

-

“They’re red velvet.”

Jack spins around at the voice.

“Oh, sorry.” Eric takes a step back.

“It’s alright,” Jack replies automatically, though his heart is racing.

It’s the day after running into Eric in the lifts and he’s still no closer to coming around to Shitty’s opinion on changing his gift idea.

Eric points at the container of cupcakes on the communal kitchen bench. “The cupcakes are red velvet. You looked like you weren’t sure.”

“No, no, I was--I didn’t know who put them there. I was wondering if they were safe to eat.”

“They’re safe,” Eric smiles and clasps his hands behind his back. “I’ll vouch personally for them.”

Jack nods. “Okay then.”

He waits for Eric to walk away since Jack knows he doesn’t work on the floor with him. He doesn’t move.

The kettle dings and Jack turns to add hot water to his mug. He gets the sense he’s being watched and when he turns around with his tea, he realises it’s because he is.

“Did you...need me for something?” Jack asks, unsure why Eric is still standing there. Perhaps he needs to get into the kitchen. It is on the small side and while you could fit two people side by side, it’s a little cosy.

Eric shakes his head. “You aren’t going to take one?” He nods at the cupcakes.

“Ah. Sure. Okay.” Jack says, awkwardly opening the box with one hand. He picks one up and goes to get past Eric. Their shoulders brush and Jack gets a whiff of soap.

He has the same feeling of eyes on his back the whole way down the corridor but when he gets to the entrance to his office area and glances over his shoulder, Eric is nowhere to be seen.

-

Jack sees Eric again the following day. He’s behind him in the queue for the coffee place at the bottom of his building. Jack frowns as he traces his eyes over the back of Eric’s head. He still hasn’t figured out why Shitty speaks so highly of him. He seems friendly enough but Jack’s not convinced he _has_ to find a gift more inspired than a gift card.

Eric doesn’t notice him. Jack places his order and moves to join the group of people waiting off to the side. He can’t help but eavesdrop on Eric’s conversation with a tall man wearing glasses.

“You really don’t have to do that, Bitty,” the tall man says.

“I know, I know,” Eric replies. “But Justin’s been really busy the past month trying to get the rights deal with the UK through and he’s not going to get a chance before he goes on his vacation.”

“At least wait until next week after we’ve done our presentation to the CEO. We’ll all have the time to help out.”

“It’s really alright. I’ve already set my alarm. I’ll be done before he gets in tomorrow.”

“Okay, but what if--”

Eric’s coffee order gets called then and Jack misses the end of their conversation. At least now he’s got some insight into what Shitty sees in Eric, if not enough to make him want to change his idea.

-

It’s not until the following week--just under two weeks left until the gift exchange--that Jack actually speaks to Eric again.

They’ve reshuffled half the staff around the building for reasons unknown to Jack and he has no idea where the books team have been moved to. He’s meant to be in a meeting with them as of five minutes ago and currently he’s lost in the rabbit warren of corridors on level 4.

“Do you need help?”

Jack turns and sees Eric in the breakroom, transferring cookies from a tupperware container onto a serving platter.

It’s probably the third time Jack has walked past the breakroom, so he takes Eric up on the offer. “Um, do you know where meeting room four-zero-four is?” Jack asks.

“Sure. It’s up that corridor there,” Eric points over Jack’s left shoulder, “turn right when you walk past the sign for photographics, then it should be second--no, first door on the left after the corridor starts going on a diagonal.”

Jack blinks. “Uh…”

Eric replaces the lid on the container. “How ‘bout I walk you over there.”

“Oh, you don’t have to. I’m sure I can find it.” Jack’s already forgotten everything Eric just said.

“It’s all good. Need to stretch my legs anyway.” Eric smiles at Jack. Jack can’t help flicking his eyes down to Eric’s legs, clad in tailored suit pants. He flushes and looks away.

“Thanks,” he mumbles.

“I’m Eric, by the way,” Eric tells Jack as he starts them off down the corridor.

“Jack.”

“Nice to meet you properly.” Eric has a way of smiling that makes Jack feel like smiling back. “Are you new here?”

Jack shakes his head. “Been here just over a year.”

“Oh! Me too,” Eric says with excitement. “Strange I haven’t seen you before then. We must have started around the same time.”

Eric takes the right turn after they pass photographics. He waves at the woman on the desk as he goes past and gets a wave in return.

“So, do you work with Shitty then?” Eric asks, turning back to Jack. “I’ve seen you together a few times this week.”

“No.”

“So then you’re in…” Eric prompts after Jack’s one word answer.

“Production.”

“Oh, cool,” Eric says, thankfully unperturbed by Jack’s ineloquence. “So you’d know Chris then? He works down there, doesn’t he?”

“Chris Chowder? Yes, I know him.”

Jack’s settling into their conversation just as Bitty comes to a stop outside a door with 4.04 lettered on it.

“Here you go. Well, it was nice to meet you properly, Jack.” Eric holds out his hand to Jack.

“You too.” Eric’s hand is cool against Jack’s own. “Thanks for helping me.”

“You’re very welcome. Have a good meeting. I’ll see you around.”

-

Jack does see Eric around. Every other day, it seems, which is a marked increase from the zero times Jack thinks he’d seen Eric before then.

He gets a meeting invite from Shitty, checking out the other invited parties as always and notices Eric’s been included. He’s got a picture attached to his work account--Jack’s own is blank, just the generic silhouette--of himself at his desk smiling. Jack can see photos pinned up on the board behind him and three different mugs on the desk.

He accepts the meeting invite and spends too long the next morning matching his shoes to his outfit.

He’s the first one in the meeting room, having left early to avoid getting lost again. Eric soon joins him.

“Hi Jack,” he greets easily, pulling out the chair beside Jack and depositing a notepad and pen on the table. “How’d you enjoy the cupcake the other day?”

Eric spins his chair to face Jack.

“The…” Jack’s distracted by Eric’s new haircut, close-cropped along the sides and still long at the top.

“You know, the red-velvet one,” Eric prompts.

“Oh, that, yes.” Jack clears his throat. “It was nice.”

Eric laughs lightly. “I get the sense that coming from you, ‘nice’ is high praise.”

“What’s Jack praising now?” Shitty asks, entering with a tray of take-away coffees for them both, plus the other attendees who aren’t here yet.

“Thanks.” Eric takes his coffee from Shitty, before answering, “My red-velvet cupcakes.”

“ _Your_ cupcakes?” Jack turns to Eric.

“You got one of Bitty’s cupcakes!” Shitty exclaims, sitting across the table from them. “Oh man. You’re _so_ lucky. They were all gone by the time I got to the kitchen on our floor. I checked three others before I gave up. Had to buy one from downstairs to satisfy my craving. It was so disappointing.”

Bitty snorts. “You can always ask me to make some for you.”

“Wait. You made those cupcakes?” Jack asks again.

“Yeah. I’m big into baking. I was trying out a new recipe and got a tad carried away so I thought I’d bring the spares into work.”

“That’s--” Jack’s eyebrows raise. “You had enough spares for the whole building?”

“Well I,” Eric clears his throat and looks down to twist the lid off his coffee cup. “Not every level.”

Eric takes a sip of his coffee and Jack flicks his eyes over to Shitty, who is watching Eric with a tilt to his head.

The meeting is long but by the end of it, Jack thinks he knows what to get Eric for Secret Santa.

-

Jack stays up far too late, caught in a research spiral. He’s grumpy in the morning, and it carries all the way through until the afternoon when he sets the treadmill to a furious speed and tries to sweat it out.

Shitty waits until they’ve showered and are on their way back to the office to bring it up.

“You seem a little off today, Jack.”

“Why are all the good baking things so expensive?”

Shitty pauses on the sidewalk. “That is not the sentence I was expecting to hear.”

Jack pivots and retreats a few steps to Shitty. “Sorry, sorry.”  

“No, it’s all good. Just...unexpected. This is the Secret Santa thing?”

Jack nods. “I thought after talking to Eric before that meeting yesterday that I’d found the perfect thing. But you can’t get anything good for twenty bucks, so what’s the point?”

“The point is you’ve put in that bit of effort to get him something personalised and he’ll love it anyway.”

Jack groans. “I can’t even get a gift card to a kitchen store before what’s he going to get with it? A single whisk? He probably already has one.”

“Okay, hey.” Shitty grasps Jack’s arms with both hands and his gym bag swings round and hits Jack.

“Jack, I love that the spirit of Christmas has finally found you. But there’s a line between getting a thoughtful gift and working yourself into a tizzy about it.”

Jack sighs. “You’re right. Okay. I got a little fixated, eh.”

“Maybe just a tad.” Shitty ruffles Jack’s hair and withdraws his arms. “Besides,” he starts them off again toward their building. “I think we’re missing the real question here.”

Jack looks across to Shitty. “What?” he asks slowly. The glint in Shitty’s eye is alarming.

Shitty shrugs in a laissez-faire way Jack knows is nothing but. “Why go to all this trouble?”

Jack opens his mouth to reply but finds he doesn’t have an answer.

“A week ago,” Shitty leans in and his gym bag whacks against Jack’s leg again, “you were going to get him a gift card and call it a day.”

Jack frowns, not grasping the point Shitty is trying to make.

Shitty claps him on the shoulder. “Think on it.”

-

He figures it out that night. Shitty ribs him about it the next morning.

-

“Eric!” Jack calls across the room to him as everyone leaves to return to their office with their gifts. “Wait up.”

Eric’s back was to Jack when he unwrapped the gift. He was smiling by the time he turned to Jack’s side of the room but Jack can’t help but doubt its authenticity.

Eric steps to the side of the corridor to let others past as Jack makes his way toward him, dragging his feet so by the time he stands beside Eric they’re alone in the corridor.

“I’m-” Jack shakes his head slowly and gestures at the gift card Eric’s gripping in his hand. “I’m sorry about the gift.”

“You were my Secret Santa?” Eric asks.

Jack nods and shoves his hands into his pockets. “I panicked.”

“What do you mean?” Eric smiles, looking down at the gift card in his hand. “This is a great gift, Jack.”

Jack purses his lips.

“Honest! It is.” Bitty presses his hands to his heart. “I’ve been meaning to buy a new silicone whisk set, so this is really helpful.”

“It’s alright. You don’t have to pretend to like it.”

“No, Jack. I’m telling you I do.”

“Oh. Right.” Jack shuffles side to side. “But I was worried--Because I wanted--I mean I was going to--But you-”

Eric lifts his palm up and holds it in front of Jack’s face. Jack stops.

“What are you trying to say?”

Eric’s hand comes down lightly on Jack’s arm and stays there. Jack drops his head. He takes a deep breath, focussing on the feeling of Eric’s hand on his arm.

“You're-” Jack lifts his head. He should be looking at Eric for this. “You’re worth more than a gift card.”

Eric's mouth goes slack. His grip tightens on Jack’s arm for a second before he pulls it back against his own chest.

“Oh.” Eric clears his throat.

Jack's heart is pounding and his tongue seems swollen inside his mouth or else he’d apologise for the inelegant way he dropped his feelings on Eric.

Eric turns his face away. The gift card spins in his hand and Jack takes the moment to ready himself for a polite rejection.

Eric stills the card. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

Jack blinks. “Working.”

“And after work.” Eric turns back to face Jack.

“Nothing.”

Eric smiles. “Come shopping with me? I’d like to show you that I mean it when I say this is a great gift.”

“That’s…” Jack stops himself from saying no because there’s an unmissable swooping sensation in his stomach telling him what he really wants to say is, “Okay.”

Eric’s smile gets bigger and Jack can’t help his own lips from lifting.

“You know, Jack, I actually...I think it’s the greatest Secret Santa I’ve ever gotten.”

Jack’s still smiling. “Really?”

“Mm-hm.” Eric nods and steps in to Jack, he flips the card up to hold it between their faces. “Because it got me a date with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this little bit of Christmas fun! If you leave a comment I'll do my best to reply to it :)
> 
> This fic (and many more) can be found on [tumblr](http://17piesinseptember.tumblr.com/tagged/mine) and [pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/writingonpostcards)
> 
> If you liked this, I wrote a bunch of Zimbits Christmas ficlets last year! [Check them out.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13151853/chapters/30080052)


End file.
